Posts Tagged WHO

Primary Prevention of Drug Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on September 24th, 2009

primary prevention

Drug abuse can be prevented at three levels –

(i) Primary,

(ii) Secondary and

(iii) Tertiary.

Primary prevention aims at preventing initiation of substance abuse or delaying the age of initiation. The secondary prevention programs target those individuals who have already started using substances. This program aims at controlling the degree of damage to the individual by preventing substance use from becoming a problem. Tertiary prevention programs are sometimes referred to as rehabilitation and relapse prevention. This form of prevention program aims at making the individual drug free thereby minimizing the problems associated with its use. It strives to enable the individual to attain and maintain improved levels of functioning and health.

Primary prevention, by far, has been known to be the best strategy to control substance abuse and a number of countries across the globe have adopted different types of strategies for preventing drug use at the primary level. The chief goals of primary prevention are

  • Targeting young people before they start using or experimenting with substances.
  • Discouraging or terminating drug use among those who have already experimented with or used substances.

A successful primary prevention program should be comprehensive. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical and social well- being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition includes all factors that affect health. The health promotion concept is used while dealing with substance abuse. This concept implies that people have the capacity to influence their own health and quality of life when empowered with appropriate knowledge and skills. This has an effect on their decision making and they can adopt correct measures to improve their own health as well as that of the community.

The government, communities and others should find effective primary preventive approaches to reach out to as many people as possible and help them in making healthy choices.

Remember, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

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Global Awareness Campaign to Fight Substance Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on September 12th, 2009

SPSARV

A yearlong awareness campaign to fight substance abuse and related violence is being launched by the United Methodist Special Program on Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV). National Recovery Month, the annual US observance in this month is serving as a channel to start the global initiative. This year’s theme is “Together We Learn, Together We Heal” and its objective is to uphold the necessity of spreading the awareness about substance abuse and also the importance of developing and accessing effective treatment and recovery services. The target group of this awareness campaign is the church leaders who will be encouraged to effectively respond to issues related to substance abuse in their congregations and communities.

The activities of SPSAVR in collaboration with the General Board of Church and Society’s Alcohol, Other Addictions and Health work area includes advocating for public policy on substance abuse and related violence. It works through its United Methodist Inter-Agency and Standing Committee Task Force to distribute resources throughout the global church.

The World Health Organization estimates that globally there are 76.3 million people suffering from alcohol related problems and 15.3 million people suffering due to substance abuse. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in 2007 around 20.8 million people in the country were in need of treatment services for alcohol or substance abuse problem but had no access to it.

Melissa H Davis, executive director of SPSARV said, “We hope the campaign will demonstrate to United Methodists throughout our church’s connectional system the sheer magnitude of the global alcohol and drug problem and encourage congregations to launch addiction ministries and advocate for just public policies in response.”     

The campaign will distribute educational articles to educate church leaders on issues related to substance abuse, identify clergy who are working for the cause and also disseminate The Big Book.

If you wish to have more information on SPSARV, you may please visit www.umspsarv.org.

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Salvia Divinorum: The Deadly Herb

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing on August 1st, 2009

Salvia_divinorum_-_Herba_de_Maria

On July 22, 2009 the Arizona police spotted a burglary in a store. Among the items stolen were glass smoking pipes, silver necklaces and a large quantity of Salvia Divinorum. The substance, with street names like Shepherdess’s Herb, Ska Pastora, has been gaining immense popularity among teens for its psychedelic effects.

What is Salvia Divinorum? More commonly known as diviner’s sage, it is a mind altering herb that originated in Mexico for traditional spiritual practices. Salvinorin A – the active property of the herb is a potent, naturally occurring hallucinogen. It could be either ingested (liquid form) or smoked (powdered form).

The risks associated with its long term use are not yet confirmed since not much research on the issue has been done as yet. But the short term effects of Salvia Divinorum are life threatening. When inhaled the devastating effects of the herb strikes very quickly which could result in the following :

Senseless, uncontrollable laughter.

Sensation of being moved or twisted by some force.

Visual hallucination – seeing two dimensional surfaces, filaments, membranes.

Identifying oneself with any object.

Loss of emotional reactions.

Overlapping realities – perceiving oneself to be present at different places at the same time.

The risks range from nausea, lightheadedness, slurred speech, paranoia, confusion, hallucination which poses a threat for self injury or injuring others and even death. The effect generally stays for 20 – 30 minutes after which it subsides.

The substance is sold legally in some states of the United States. It is available online. Several bills have been proposed in the senate but none have been passed as yet.

If you have a teenager at home talk to him about the ill-effects of drug use. Involve doctors, counselors, teachers as well. Remember Salvia Divinorum is a posing dangerous threat to a number of families who are at a risk of losing their loved ones.

You may visit www.mayoclinic.org for detailed info.

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Risks of Marijuana Use

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing on July 31st, 2009

legalize_marijuana_main

In my earlier posting I spoke about the legalization of marijuana. But as a counselor it is my responsibility to sensitize people on the risks associated with its use. It is high time that people understand that smoking pot is not as harmless as it is thought to be.

This is specially for kids and their parents since contrary to the popular belief that marijuana is not popular among kids, the fact is the number of teens in treatment for marijuana dependency is more than that for all other illegal drugs. Teenage is the age of experimentation which might lead to addiction. Research shows that the potency of today’s marijuana is very high and is thus highly addictive. It also serves as a gateway drugs for teenagers who might gradually switch over to other extremely harmful substances like heroine, cocaine, etc.

Smoking pot has hazardous effects on the health of the smoker. Marijuana smoke destroys and leads to abnormal functioning of the lung tissue. The amount of carbon monoxide absorbed and tar inhaled is 3-5 times greater than cigarette use. Loss of motor co-ordination, increased heart rate, heightened anxiety and panic attacks are short term effects of the drug.

Marijuana also affects the brain activities. It impairs the attention, memory and learning capacities leading to poor academic performance. Pot smoking creates a trance like state which impairs judgment leading to risky decision making and involvement in unsafe behavior.

Longitudinal studies show that chronic use of the weed leads to deviant behavior patterns like aggression, delinquency, rebellious, poor relationship with parents.

Often we have found teens resorting to marijuana as a way to overcome depression. But pot can worsen the situation by increasing the level of depression and paving a path for other serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and even suicide.

Will you still believe that marijuana is not harmful?

Be on the guard. Spread the message, save children from using marijuana.

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